Looking Back: Schulte, Sauk Rapids chased title in ’89

For Scott Schulte and his teammates on the 1989 Sauk Rapids baseball team, their run to the Class A state title game 25 years ago this week was the culmination of a journey that began in childhood.

“We had a core group of guys my senior year — like six or seven of us — who played all three sports together growing up,” Schulte said.

“Football, basketball and baseball — and baseball was our last chance to play together. So we wanted to make sure we closed in a memorable way.”

The Storm earned their trip to state by scoring six runs in the first inning en route to beating Delano 10-4 in the Region 5A title game.

Sauk Rapids then beat Luverne 3-1 in the first round of the Class A state tournament at Dick Putz Field and Byron 5-2 in the semifinals.

“Sauk Rapids hadn’t been to state before (or since), but we felt like we had a really strong baseball tradition,” Schulte said.

“The reality growing up was that we were always a Class 2A school and we had to face bigger teams. But my senior year, we were reclassified to Class A and that really benefited us.

“In fact, when we set out our goals at the beginning of that season, winning a state title was the big one. So we didn’t feel like we were coming out of nowhere. We felt like we belonged there.”

The semifinal victory over Byron set up a match-up for the title with Mankato Loyola just hours later. Sauk Rapids led that game. But in the end, Loyola scored the winning run on a double by Matt Guentzel in the bottom of the eighth inning to claim a 6-5 victory.

“It was disappointing because that game was there for us to win,” Schulte said. “So to feel like we let it slip away a little bit was tough.”

But the memories of that season remain happy ones for Schulte, who is now the city planner in Champlin and was inducted into the Sauk Rapids athletic hall of fame last fall — an honor his wife Toni, also a 1989 Sauk Rapids graduate, will receive this year.

“The way the whole town rallied around us was really cool,” Schulte said. “I can remember the bus ride home, having a fire truck meet us and lead us to a reception at the high school. Win or lose — and obviously it would have been better had we won — it felt like that team really mattered to people.

“That they were enjoying it just as much as we were.”

Five years ago (2009)

Michael Frericks of St. Cloud Apollo was named the 2009 Times’ All-Area baseball player of the year. He batted .493 during the 2009 season and also struck out 47 batters for an Eagles’ team that finished 12-11 overall.

10 years ago (2004)

Former St. Cloud River Bats right-hander Thomas Diamond was drafted 10th overall by the Texas Rangers, making him the highest-drafted player in Northwoods League history until former Battle Creek catcher Tony Sanchez was drafted No. 4 overall by Pittsburgh in 2009.

Also, Annandale fell 15-7 to Jackson County Central in the Class 2A state softball title game.

Senior outfielder Lindsey Lumley went 4-for-4 with five RBI to lead the Cardinals in the loss.

50 years ago (1964)

The University of baseball team beat USC 6-5 in a match-up of the two remaining unbeatens at the College World Series in Omaha.

The Gophers would go on to beat Missouri 5-1 in the title game.

Starting pitcher Joe Pollack worked all nine innings in the championship game, allowing four hits and striking out seven to pick up the win.

75 years ago (1939)

National women’s golf champion Patty Berg of Minneapolis was scheduled to play an exhibition at the St. Cloud Country Club in a foursome that also consisted of ex-Gophers football star Babe LeVoir, state amateur champion Kenny Young and Twin Cities golf expert Virgil Roby.

But the event was washed out because of rain.

Berg did manage to shake hands with everyone seeking shelter in the clubhouse, according to the next day’s story in the Times.